Work (or lack of work) Woes

[cheekygirl75]

Question: I am trying to change career directions, and looking at more administrative jobs. I have plenty of administrative experience, but it's all 20+ years ago. Do I include those jobs on my resume?

 

[AngelWithAShotgun]

Question: I am trying to change career directions, and looking at more administrative jobs. I have plenty of administrative experience, but it's all 20+ years ago. Do I include those jobs on my resume?

Yes! And mention you're comfortable with training if they have a kaizen management system (in your cover letter)

 

[jeff_is_smiling]

Interesting question. When I was hiring someone, I used their resume's to see if the specific skill set I was looking for in an employee was readily apparent. If it appeared the experience I was looking for was present, they went into the, "more research on this one is warranted" pile. Those that didn't went in the "I don't think so" pile.

I can ALSO say that the skill set I looked for didn't ALWAYS have to be professional experience-related. If the person showed the type of skills I was looking for in their hobbies, or volunteer work portion of what they wrote, and I could see it easily in the topic, that also made me consider adding them to the "more research is warranted" pile.

Good luck with your search...

 

[cheekygirl75]

Yes! And mention you're comfortable with training if they have a kaizen management system (in your cover letter)

Thanks! And oooh, new buzzword! Thanks! Will definitely be researching that

 

[cheekygirl75]

Interesting question. When I was hiring someone, I used their resume's to see if the specific skill set I was looking for in an employee was readily apparent. If it appeared the experience I was looking for was present, they went into the, "more research on this one is warranted" pile. Those that didn't went in the "I don't think so" pile.

I can ALSO say that the skill set I looked for didn't ALWAYS have to be professional experience-related. If the person showed the type of skills I was looking for in their hobbies, or volunteer work portion of what they wrote, and I could see it easily in the topic, that also made me consider adding them to the "more research is warranted" pile.

Good luck with your search...

Thank you for the answer!

So if I had the jobs with relevant experience in a section near the top titled Key Experience or something like that... would you put it in the "research" pile? Even if the experience was 20 years ago? Or would that be part of the research?

I'd also include a Recent Experience or Other Experience section for my most recent jobs

 

[AngelWithAShotgun]

Interesting question. When I was hiring someone, I used their resume's to see if the specific skill set I was looking for in an employee was readily apparent. If it appeared the experience I was looking for was present, they went into the, "more research on this one is warranted" pile. Those that didn't went in the "I don't think so" pile.

I can ALSO say that the skill set I looked for didn't ALWAYS have to be professional experience-related. If the person showed the type of skills I was looking for in their hobbies, or volunteer work portion of what they wrote, and I could see it easily in the topic, that also made me consider adding them to the "more research is warranted" pile.

Good luck with your search...

Yep, this is why I mentioned kaizen, if they don't know about it, that will put her under the more research warranted pile. And if they already know about it, this tells them she keeps up to date with business administration

 

[jeff_is_smiling]

Thank you for the answer!

So if I had the jobs with relevant experience in a section near the top titled Key Experience or something like that... would you put it in the "research" pile? Even if the experience was 20 years ago? Or would that be part of the research?

I'd also include a Recent Experience or Other Experience section for my most recent jobs

There seems to be plenty of people here that can help you with your resume formatting and topics. All I am saying is that when I was a supervising that needed to hire someone, the process in my mind went something like this (caveat - this is all OLD knowledge and I have no doubt things have changed some - but the thought-process of someone doing the hiring probably hasn't):

I need someone who has admin experience - specifically within the area of "X." I'd prefer them to have recent experience professionally, but just "want it" if they have it. If I get dozens of resume's that all show experience in the area I am looking for, those with experience from a long time ago might not make the cut.

But, if I am specializing in an area, like I need someone who has experience digitalizing old vhs tapes, and there were few resumes to choose from, I wouldn't care how recent their experience was or if it was from a previous job. If they redid all their family photos and tapes as a project, that might be perfect for me as well.

If you had unique experience in an admin area - professional or socially - that was valuable to me and what I needed, I'd scour the resume's to find you. But, being human, if there are a LOT of people with that experience (meaning it isn't that unique a skill set), then I'd take the path of least resistance and find the most recent, relevant professional experience and go from there.

 

[cheekygirl75]

There seems to be plenty of people here that can help you with your resume formatting and topics. All I am saying is that when I was a supervising that needed to hire someone, the process in my mind went something like this (caveat - this is all OLD knowledge and I have no doubt things have changed some - but the thought-process of someone doing the hiring probably hasn't):

I need someone who has admin experience - specifically within the area of "X." I'd prefer them to have recent experience professionally, but just "want it" if they have it. If I get dozens of resume's that all show experience in the area I am looking for, those with experience from a long time ago might not make the cut.

But, if I am specializing in an area, like I need someone who has experience digitalizing old vhs tapes, and there were few resumes to choose from, I wouldn't care how recent their experience was or if it was from a previous job. If they redid all their family photos and tapes as a project, that might be perfect for me as well.

If you had unique experience in an admin area - professional or socially - that was valuable to me and what I needed, I'd scour the resume's to find you. But, being human, if there are a LOT of people with that experience (meaning it isn't that unique a skill set), then I'd take the path of least resistance and find the most recent, relevant professional experience and go from there.

That makes sense, thank you!

 

[jeff_is_smiling]

One more - likely "dated" - thought:

I used a company to sort out the resumes for me. I gave exactly what I was looking for and that company did the initial vetting. That meant, to be honest, the level of attention-to-detail I was after by the resume sorters to be critical. If all I stated was that I was looking for someone with Word and Excel experience, the sorters would only look at professional experience that showed those skills on the resume.

But I sometimes was very particular for what I was after. For example, while I wanted Word and Excel experience, what I was REALLY after was someone who could creatively design/format in Word and Excel because my project was one-of-a-kind and just being fluent wasn't enough. I might as well have stated I wanted creative thinking as the trait/skill set I was looking for who understood Word and Excel. To me, that was where I was usually at mentally for what I wanted.

And that meant I needed to expand the sorters "understanding" of what I wanted. I had to explain that I wanted anyone CLOSE to the technical needs. Then I'd scrub - usually only giving a cursory glance at their professional accomplishments, and I'd actually focus on the non-work aspects of their resume. I'd use that to find "creativity" in someone.

Once I had a handful that intrigued me, I'd schedule interviews. 99% of my decisions came from interviews. I'd spend over 50% of the interviews asking about situations where creativity was required - at work or home - and have the applicant describe in some detail what they did and what resulted from their efforts. MANY times, I hired the person who suffered a crushing defeat in their story - if they showed me creativity in resolving the issue and how they changed/improved from the experience.

Sorry for a long-winded post. Just my way of saying that, as a person hiring, the resume was simply a tool that got an applicant's foot in the door. People hiring usually want MUCH more than what you could ever write in a single page. The resume needs to hint at possibilities hiring you would bring. The interview was used, at least by me, to give an impression of your honesty, character, skills, and creativity. And that's what I was after.

 

[cheekygirl75]

One more - likely "dated" - thought:

I used a company to sort out the resumes for me. I gave exactly what I was looking for and that company did the initial vetting. That meant, to be honest, the level of attention-to-detail I was after by the resume sorters to be critical. If all I stated was that I was looking for someone with Word and Excel experience, the sorters would only look at professional experience that showed those skills on the resume.

But I sometimes was very particular for what I was after. For example, while I wanted Word and Excel experience, what I was REALLY after was someone who could creatively design/format in Word and Excel because my project was one-of-a-kind and just being fluent wasn't enough. I might as well have stated I wanted creative thinking as the trait/skill set I was looking for who understood Word and Excel. To me, that was where I was usually at mentally for what I wanted.

And that meant I needed to expand the sorters "understanding" of what I wanted. I had to explain that I wanted anyone CLOSE to the technical needs. Then I'd scrub - usually only giving a cursory glance at their professional accomplishments, and I'd actually focus on the non-work aspects of their resume. I'd use that to find "creativity" in someone.

Once I had a handful that intrigued me, I'd schedule interviews. 99% of my decisions came from interviews. I'd spend over 50% of the interviews asking about situations where creativity was required - at work or home - and have the applicant describe in some detail what they did and what resulted from their efforts. MANY times, I hired the person who suffered a crushing defeat in their story - if they showed me creativity in resolving the issue and how they changed/improved from the experience.

Sorry for a long-winded post. Just my way of saying that, as a person hiring, the resume was simply a tool that got an applicant's foot in the door. People hiring usually want MUCH more than what you could ever write in a single page. The resume needs to hint at possibilities hiring you would bring. The interview was used, at least by me, to give an impression of your honesty, character, skills, and creativity. And that's what I was after.

Oh, absolutely... I know the resume is just a marketing tool, the product being myself. Right now I'm working on a "Master" resume with all my experience/achievements that I'll choose from for each job. I'm just worried about getting my resume in front of the hiring manager at all - most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that summarize someone's skills using the key words in their resume, so if you don't have the right key words... you don't get passed on.

 

[AngelWithAShotgun]

Oh, absolutely... I know the resume is just a marketing tool, the product being myself. Right now I'm working on a "Master" resume with all my experience/achievements that I'll choose from for each job. I'm just worried about getting my resume in front of the hiring manager at all - most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that summarize someone's skills using the key words in their resume, so if you don't have the right key words... you don't get passed on.

wow, did not know that

 

[jeff_is_smiling]

Agreed. So, when I posted a job, it was important that I "hinted" at what skills I was after. If I simply put something like, "...looking for a creative thinker that excels at unique solution formation," I'd get a ton of resumes from people who thought the terms I used were just "corporate-speak" for the position. So, I'd have to be more creative myself at describing what I was seeking.

I found that people who "read beyond the job requirements" usually had a better chance of tweaking their resume to get past the filter....

 

[cheekygirl75]

Is it bad luck to send out resumes on a Friday the 13th? Or am I just looking for an excuse to quit?

 

[LaisDeMarieDeFrance]

Is it bad luck to send out resumes on a Friday the 13th? Or am I just looking for an excuse to quit?

I think you know the answer to that. lol

 

[cheekygirl75]

I think you know the answer to that. lol

Ooof, you're tough! I went and did more resume sending, ok?

 

[LaisDeMarieDeFrance]

Ooof, you're tough! I went and did more resume sending, ok?

Me? Tough? All I said was that you knew the answer. You're the tough one!

 

[Starscream_UK]

I'm glad I don't have to deal with the hiring process in my role.

However, if I could deal with less jobsworths and gate keepers that would be fucking awesome right now...

 

[Diosax]

Is it bad luck to send out resumes on a Friday the 13th? Or am I just looking for an excuse to quit?

It depends! If you're gonna be thinking about sending it then send it so out of mind.

 

[n8Romantic]

Happily retired, one of the upsides of getting old. Still, I have a paver project I'm working on. All the rain has it looking like the Western Front in WWI.
View attachment 2148226

 

[cheekygirl75]

Just read a job description that listed "Workhorses" as something they value. Red flag much?

 

[cheekygirl75]

It's amazing the differences in pay between nonprofits and corporate... I'm applying for a job that has a starting salary fully twice as much as I started at at a nonprofit. It would be so nice to finally be making a decent salary!

 

[Diosax]

It's amazing the differences in pay between nonprofits and corporate... I'm applying for a job that has a starting salary fully twice as much as I started at at a nonprofit. It would be so nice to finally be making a decent salary!

Ahhh tell me about it. Specially small nonprofits.

 

[LaisDeMarieDeFrance]

It's amazing the differences in pay between nonprofits and corporate... I'm applying for a job that has a starting salary fully twice as much as I started at at a nonprofit. It would be so nice to finally be making a decent salary!

Too bad you can't slide right in to the president of the American Heart Association for a cool two mill. I try not to look at those charity CEO compensations too much because it makes me mad.

 

[cheekygirl75]

Ahhh tell me about it. Specially small nonprofits.

Yeah, that's it actually... I realized after I posted that that the job I am applying for is at a nonprofit also, it's just a bigger and tech related nonprofit. Cooler to donate money towards tech than human services, I guess!

Too bad you can't slide right in to the president of the American Heart Association for a cool two mill. I try not to look at those charity CEO compensations too much because it makes me mad.

Yeah, it's funny how the salaries for the people at the bottom in nonprofits are so much lower than their corporate counterparts, yet the salaries start to even out as you get to the Executive Director level! Though I suppose the last nonprofit I worked at was good - the ED made *barely* over $100,000!

 

[LaisDeMarieDeFrance]

Yeah, that's it actually... I realized after I posted that that the job I am applying for is at a nonprofit also, it's just a bigger and tech related nonprofit. Cooler to donate money towards tech than human services, I guess!



Yeah, it's funny how the salaries for the people at the bottom in nonprofits are so much lower than their corporate counterparts, yet the salaries start to even out as you get to the Executive Director level! Though I suppose the last nonprofit I worked at was good - the ED made *barely* over $100,000!

Idk of anyone who deserves a million dollar salary or over. I'd be thrilled to get $100,000! Sign me up! lol